Henderson Lewelling House - Salem, Iowa - Underground Railroad Sites on Waymarking.com

The Henderson Lewelling House is only 18 miles north of Missouri and was in a community of Quakers who were known to help runaway slaves. The Underground Railroad had as many as five houses in the Salem area for the safety of slaves escaping their “owners.”

The Henderson Lewelling House was built in 1840 of limestone quarried nearby. The interior includes two trapdoors through which slaves may have been hidden and other interesting artifacts such as leg shackles. Slave owners from Missouri brought a cannon to Salem and threatened to demolish the house. Other Iowans came to resist the Slave Owners and the cannon was not fired.

Henderson Lewelling, his wife, Elizabeth, and children later moved to Oregon. The town of Milwaukie, Oregon was established in 1847 by Lot Whitcomb, Henderson Lewelling and Joseph Kellogg. Whitcomb and Kellogg built boats and mills for lumber and flour. Lewelling went into agriculture with the fruit trees he brought with him over the Oregon Trail.

The home is open on Sundays from 1:00-4:00 PM from May through September or by appointment - 319 258-4341. It is located on Main Street south of the business district.

Address: Main Street south of the business district Salem, Iowa USA Web site: [Web Link] Site Details: The home is open on Sundays from 1:00-4:00 PM from May through September or by appointment - 319 258-4341. Open to the public?: Public Name of organization who placed the marker: none

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/10/2012 Rose Red wrote comment for it